Thanksgiving tower

Glazed pagoda of Dabaoen Temple

synonym

Baoen pagoda (Nanjing Baoen pagoda) generally refers to the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple

The glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple is located in Dabaoen temple, Qinhuai District, Nanjing city. It is the core building of Dabaoen temple, with a height of 78.2 meters, nine floors and eight sides, and a perimeter of 100 meters. The project took nearly 20 years, using 100000 craftsmen and military workers, and cost 2.485 million taels of silver. After the completion of the tower, 146 bonlights were set inside and outside the 9 floors, each with a core about 1 inch thick.

According to the official historical data of the Ming Dynasty, the official name of the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple is "the first pagoda". It is 78.2 meters high and is made of glazed materials. There are 146 permanent lights inside and outside the pagoda. From its completion to its decay, it has been the highest building in southern China and a wonder in the history of world architecture. It ranks among the seven wonders of the world in the middle ages and was regarded by Westerners as a landmark building representing China at that time .

From the early Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple, as the most distinctive landmark building in Nanjing, was known as the "No.1 Pagoda in the world". It was known as "China's great antique and Yongle's kiln ware". It was a must for Chinese and foreign people to visit Jinling at that time.

Historical evolution

The glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple was built by Zhu Di of Ming Dynasty to commemorate his mother Gong Fei. It is 80 meters high, 9 floors and 8 sides, and 100 meters in circumference. The project took nearly 20 years, using 100000 craftsmen and military workers, and cost 2.485 million taels of silver. It is said that after the completion of the tower, 146 bonlights will be set up inside and outside the 9 floors, each with a core about 1 inch thick.

From the early Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple, as the most distinctive landmark building in Nanjing, was known as "the first Pagoda in the world". It was also known as "China's great antique and Yongle's kiln ware". It was a must for Chinese and foreign people to visit Jinling at that time. When Kangxi and Qianlong came to Jiangnan in the Qing Dynasty, they both visited the tower. Emperor Kangxi wrote a poem that said, "the land is surging, the mountain is nine levels high, the glass is hanging, and the jadeite is smoking. He has created skillful talents and passed them down from generation to generation. Emperor Qianlong also inscribed a plaque layer by layer.

The glazed pagoda of Dabaoen Temple stood on the land of Nanjing for nearly 400 years and was destroyed in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom war in 1856. Today, the monument of Dabaoen temple made by Emperor Yongle and Emperor Xuande in Ming Dynasty remains. According to historical records, the glazed tiles, glazed components and white tiles fired for the construction of the tower are in triplicate. One copy is used for the construction of the tower, and the other two copies are numbered and buried underground. In case of defects, they should be reported to the Ministry of work and repaired according to the number of accessories. In 1958, a large number of glass components with ink mark were unearthed nearby, which are now stored in the National Museum of China, Nanjing Museum and Nanjing Museum.

Together with the Roman Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the great wall of China, the glass tower of Dabaoen temple is known as the seven wonders of the world in the middle ages, and is regarded by Westerners as one of the landmark buildings representing Chinese culture. However, it was not until the early 20th century that the Chinese themselves knew such an assessment. To a certain extent, it is the introduction of the information that has long been respected by the West that revives the historical memory and realistic thinking of the 20th century Chinese people about the glazed pagoda.

The reputation of the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple in Europe owes to the Dutch John nehoff (1618-1672).

In 1654, the board of directors of the Dutch East India Company decided to send a delegation to visit China, and asked the sketch artists to describe the scenes and strange buildings that might be seen along the way in their original images for preservation. It was John nehoff who held the post at that time. Although John nehoff's description of Dabaoen temple and its glazed pagoda is plain, it is highly appraised.

It is not this report that makes the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen Temple famous in Europe, but the travel notes of nehof compiled by Henry nehof, the elder brother of John nehof. In nehoff's travels, the glazed pagoda of the Dabaoen temple in Nanjing has been called a great building comparable to the "seven wonders of the world". Its unique shape and unparalleled beauty have been greatly exaggerated and enthusiastically respected through words and prints.

With the publication and mass distribution of nehoff's travel notes, the pagoda of Dabaoen temple has become the most well-known Chinese architecture in Europe. After the travels were published in French in 1665, it inspired the first Chinese architecture in Europe, that is, the trieannon porcelain palace built in Versailles in 1670 under the command of Louis XIV.

Nehoff's travels and illustrations are constantly quoted or widely adapted by other books about China or Asia. Until the 1840s, nehoff's travel notes and illustrations were still an important source of knowledge for Europeans to understand China.

The reason why the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple is a household name in Europe is also due to the propaganda of literature and other works. In 1839, Andersen mentioned in the garden of heaven: "I (east wind) just came from China - I danced around the porcelain tower and made all the bells jingle!" The porcelain pagoda here is the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple.

Because of this, although the overall image of China in modern times has been declining, the glazed pagoda of the Dabaoen temple in Nanjing still enjoys the respect of Westerners. In 1841, after the British warship "nanixis" arrived in Nanjing, which came to sign the "Nanjing Treaty" with the Qing government, the British troops on board went ashore one after another to "visit" the glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple. In 1854, the U.S. plenipotentiary to China arrived in Jiangning (Nanjing), and his entourage Fars also visited the glass tower of Dabaoen temple. They may be the last foreigners to see the tower. Although the glazed pagoda at that time was beyond recognition, the description of Fars and others was still full of respect: "in the face of the destruction and destruction of this huge and magnificent building, people can't help but feel sad."

Architectural form

According to the records of TA Tu Fu Zhi of Da bao'en temple, the construction of Da bao'en Temple Pagoda shared 2.485484 liang of money, grain and silver. On the top of the pagoda, there is one night pearl, one avoiding fire pearl, one avoiding water pearl, one avoiding wind pearl and one avoiding dust pearl. One ingot of gold weighs 4000 Liang, one teaspoon of tea, one thousand liang of silver, one realgar weighs 100 Jin, one gem pearl, one thousand strings of Yongle coins, two yellow satins, one Tibetan Sutra, one Amitabha Sutra, and one Sutra of Sakyamuni Sutra. The top of the tower is surrounded by nine iron rings (phase wheels), weighing 3600 Jin. Two copper plates on the top of the tower are made of wind mill copper, each weighing 900 Jin, and one pearl plate weighing 430 Jin (cast in iron, it is said that it is wrapped in gold). The tower has eight iron ropes, 72 pendulous bells, 80 pendulous iron bells, 128 external lamps and 12 glazed lamps. The window of the tower is made of thin shells of mussels, and 60 Jin of lamp oil is consumed every night. In addition, according to Jinling fanchazhi, there are 16 lamps on each floor of Dabaoen Temple Pagoda, and each lamp uses six taels of oil every night. Dabaoen Temple uses 2246 catties of sesame oil every month. Every month, the amount of sesame oil used for lighting lamps is 1931 Jin and 42 Liang, and the amount of light grass is 3 or 3 yuan and 1 Fen. On March 21, the third year of Xuande, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty wrote to Zheng He, "the Dabaoen temple in Nanjing has not been completed for more than 16 years since it was built on October 13, the tenth year of Yongle.". Gai was the supervisor and other officials. The general's wife was employed by the carpenter. She wasted money on food reward, so that she moved for a long time. This year, we will complete all the unfinished projects within a few miles of August. If we delay, the supervisor will not forgive us! "

The construction of Dabaoen temple is extremely exquisite, and it is built completely according to the standard of the imperial palace. The foundation is first nailed with thick wooden piles, and then burned to make it into charcoal, which is rolled and tamped with iron wheel rolling stones. A layer of cinnabar is laid on the charcoal to prevent moisture and kill insects. There are more than 20 pavilions, 118 galleries and 38 Scripture rooms in the temple. It took 19 years, consuming 2.5 million taels of silver and recruiting more than 100000 workers. The glazed pagoda of Dabaoen temple, located behind the main hall, was built in 1412 and completed in 1428. It has nine floors and eight sides, and is 78.2 meters high. It can be seen even on the Yangtze River tens of miles away. The body of the tower is covered with white porcelain and the arch is glazed. On the ground floor, there is an ambulatory (i.e. the "auxiliary steps" of the Song Dynasty). The tower room is square. The eaves, brackets, flat seats and railings of the tower are decorated with five color glazed bricks with Buddhist themes such as lions, white elephants and flying sheep. Due to the transfer of each layer, the size of bricks and tiles used is different. The top of the brake is inlaid with gold and silver jewelry. There are 152 wind chimes hanging under the corner beam. They ring day and night and sound for miles. Since its completion, 140 lamps have been lit in Changming tower, which consumes 64 Jin of oil every day. It is resplendent and bright day and night. The walls of the tower are covered with niches. The tower is one of the 48 scenic spots in Jinling. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, some European businessmen, tourists and missionaries came to Nanjing and called it "Nanjing porcelain tower", which is comparable with Roman Colosseum, Alexander underground mausoleum and leaning tower of Pisa. It is called one of the seven wonders of the middle ancient world and one of the symbols of China.

Architectural features

If the Dabaoen temple is compared to a shining crown, the glazed pagoda is undoubtedly the most shining pearl on the crown. In its 400 years of existence, no other building in China can match it. At that time, anywhere in Nanjing City, as long as people looked up to the south, they could see its magnificent posture like giant pillars. It took 17 years to build Dabaoen temple, but in the same period, it took only three and a half years to build the Forbidden City in Beijing with several times the amount of construction. The Dabaoen Temple project is so time-consuming,

Chinese PinYin : Bao En Ta